Where the Current Leads
by brokenheart-edge
Summary: Kanda and Allen were perfectly happy ignoring each other and going about their own lives. But one very unfortunate accident is about to tie them together in the most unexpected way. Yullen and eventual lemon, but rated T for now.
1. Chapter 1

Hi again! This is edge-chan, back to spin more tales of Yullen! Not a oneshot this time, but a real story with an actual plot and original characters and all that other exciting stuff. I got positive feedback from my first story, so I decided to write more. Sorry for the wait, but I promise to make up for it.

I do not own D.Gray-man, and I do not profit in any way from the writing of this story. There, I said it.

Where the Current Leads

Chapter One: Ripple Effect

As always, it started as a normal morning. The sun broke in all its fiery familiarity over the horizon, and Allen Walker opened his eyes with a blinking smile at the pale pink and orange colors of the dawn outside his window. With a refreshed sigh, he swung his feet onto the floor and gave a languid stretch.

At almost the exact same moment, Kanda shivered, the morning air chilled on his sweat-moist skin. In a movement like a whisper, and with the same amount of sound, he leapt, swiping at the air in front of him with the graceful arc of his sword. He focused on the sound and pace of his breathing, letting his other senses guide him since he was blindfolded. He would never tell anyone, but he enjoyed this more than anything. Here, it was silent. Here, despite the blindfold fastened tightly around his head, he was all-seeing, all-powerful. There was such a sense of burning life coursing through his veins, clashing with the cool air that caressed his skin. He took a deep, cleansing breath, wiped the sweat from his brow, and untied the cloth covering his eyes. The sun blinded him momentarily, and he was beginning to feel it warming his already heated body, so he decided to go in and shower.

At precisely the same instant that decision was made, Allen was just sitting down to eat his breakfast, when Lavi snatched his juice box off his tray.

"Lavi! Go get your own!"

"But I lost mine somewhere! Please let me have yours!" the redhead made puppy-eyes (eye) at Allen, and the boy pouted and gave in.

"Fine… how did you lose a _juice box_?" Allen eyed him with curiosity. With Lavi, one never really knew.

"Old man Panda needed some help carrying some books, so I set it on the stairs somewhere, but I couldn't find it afterwards… so I imagine it's still somewhere on the stairs."

"Huh." Before Allen had the chance to consider the possible outcomes of that, Lenalee came running up to the two boys, looking urgent.

"Allen, my brother wants you in his office, now!"

"What?! But I haven't eaten breakfast yet!" Allen protested rather weakly.

"I'm really sorry, but he says this can't wait, Allen."

And so it was that Allen took off at a full sprint, Lavi shrugging his shoulders meekly and following the younger exorcist. The white-hared boy was vaguely aware that he was becoming dizzy and seeing double, which was his body's way of chewing him out when it didn't get the food it needed. For once (and unwisely, it has to be said), he disregarded it and kept running at full speed up the stairs.

It happened fast, in a flash- Allen was only slightly aware that he was passing someone who was also going up the stairs, and not at all aware of the object he was about to slip on. Kanda, on the other hand, had his senses jolted into overdrive as something collided into his shoulder, and he heard a panicked yelp as he felt himself lose his balance. He tried, did he ever try to keep his footing, but the stairs where suddenly and inexplicably slippery.

Watching Kanda fall was instantaneous, yet at the same time, Allen felt like he was seeing it happening frame-by-frame, in horrific and agonizing slow-motion. By trying to right himself, Kanda had fallen face-first.

There was a sickening, foreboding _crack_ that resounded and echoed up the stairwell, followed by a deathly silence which Allen likened to a funeral- right now, he was picturing his own. And yet, despite the homicidal fury Kanda would, without a doubt, aim towards Allen, his body moved on its own, his legs carrying him of their own accord down to Kanda. If Allen hadn't known he was seriously hurt, it would have been funny. Kanda's cheek rested on the floor, his arms in between his knees, his rear end positioned high in the air, and for a moment, Allen thought absurdly of a mountain, before his voice broke the pregnant silence.

"Kanda! Are you okay?!"

No answer came, though Kanda's eyes were open. At first Allen thought he was too angry to even speak, but then, as he heard Kanda struggling to breathe, he realized that Kanda _couldn't_ speak due to the pain. He felt his mind being wracked with guilt. He shook, trying to regain his composure. If he couldn't gather himself, how was he supposed to gather Kanda up off the floor?

"At least things can't get any worse…" he thought, bending down.

Lavi chose that moment to come running, and Allen retracted his last thought as Lavi's eyes grew wide and his jaw dropped.

"Whoa, what _happened_?!" Lavi looked from Allen to Kanda and back again, and the white-haired boy hung his head in shame.

"It was my fault. I slipped on something and accidentally pushed him down the stairs." At that, Lavi covered his mouth with both hands to stifle his laughter.

"It isn't funny, Lavi! I think he broke his collarbone!" chastised, Lavi's hands fell to his sides, and he took on the appropriately worried expression.

"Really?! Yuu-chan, is it broken?!"

"Lavi, I don't think he can--"

A scream. Enraged, and earsplitting, it echoed down to Allen's core, cut to the quick, so raw it was painful. Kanda's breaths came out raspy, rattling, but words escaped as well in the form of a harsh whisper, which sounded like Kanda was trying to yell, but the whisper was all he could manage.

"_Of course it's broken! If it wasn't, I'd be up on my feet and fucking __strangling__ the beansprout! Get me to the infirmary this instant!!"_

"Right! Uh, Lavi, go and get some help- tell them they'll need a stretcher."

In an instant, Lavi was gone, screaming just a little too loudly for help as he went, leaving Allen alone with someone who currently wanted nothing more than to murder him in a most brutal fashion.

"Help is on the way, Kanda. Is there anything I can do to help you feel better?" here, Kanda gave him his most poisonous glare, "…short of killing myself, that is?"

So, in the now scorching morning sun, they carted one very pissed off Kanda to the infirmary. Just getting him up from the scene of the accident was an ordeal; Kanda yelped and swore, teaching Allen some new words in the process. The nurse who lived in the infirmary (Lavi had had the good fortune of running into her while looking for help) decided, after much begging from Allen, to let Allen and Lavi accompany Kanda to the infirmary. Kanda did not want this, and made it clear to everyone from between clenched teeth, but the nurse, who was very used to having Kanda as a patient, knew he was just in need of a little bit of morphine.

The group of people carrying Kanda on his stretcher (including Lavi, Allen, and a couple other nurses) came to a slow stop inside the infirmary. Even so, Kanda hissed out a few more choice swearwords as his injury was jarred painfully. The guilt knot in Allen's guts tightened threateningly, and Allen felt he would be sick, especially when the nurses began to load Kanda into a wheelchair to get him to the operating room, and Kanda clenched his fists and gritted his teeth, refusing to whimper or cry out. Allen tried to scramble out of sight before he lost it- he flung open the infirmary doors and bolted out into the hall- but when he gagged, nothing came up, and it suddenly dawned on him that he had nothing in his stomach. Not that it stopped him from retching twice more, and then, when all was clear, he staggered back to where they were transferring Kanda to the wheelchair, which from the sounds of things, was becoming more and more unpleasant for Kanda.

Lavi caught sight of Allen and laughed.

"That empathy is no good, Allen. Yuu-chan should be the one throwing up, not you."

"Enough, Lavi! I feel guilty as it is. And for your information, I didn't throw up."

"Oh, of course not. Hence the gagging noises coming from wherever you ran off."

"They were dry heaves. I never ate breakfast, remember?"

"Oh yeah… didn't Komui want to see you?"

The color drained from Allen's face.

"Damn, I forgot! But…" he cast a glance at Kanda, who was growling at the nurse for a painkiller, and the guilt hit him in a fresh wave. "I'm staying here."

"You're so caring, Allen-kun." A hand was laid upon his shoulder, and Allen jumped considerably, facing his supervisor, who had appeared out of thin air like he often tended to do.

"K-Komui! I'm really sorry, but this is my fault, and I can't just leave him here and…" Komui held up one hand and silenced the young exorcist.

"I understand. In fact, I have an idea. Allen, you will help to care for Kanda until you have found a way to apologize which satisfies him."

With every word, Allen grew paler, and by the time Komui was done talking, Allen was as white as his hair.

"So basically, he'll stay with Yuu-chan until Yuu-chan doesn't want to kill him anymore?" Lavi piped up.

"That's putting it in rather simple terms, but yes, that's the idea."

Allen briefly entertained the thought that this "idea" would kill him.

Okay, that's it for now. The second chapter is written and ready to go… but I'm gonna be evil and wait for some feedback first. The next chapter will include Kanda high on painkillers… those of you who have been there will know that's funny as hell.


	2. Chapter 2

Hey! Edge-chan here. Thanks for your reviews. It's true what they say about the reviews making you want to write more. I appreciate those of you who are honest enough to point out the discrepancies in the story as much as I appreciate being showered with praise (okay, so I like the praise more, sue me).

Lirre13: Thanks for bringing up the thing about Kanda's healing ability. However, when one breaks his or her collarbone, sometimes surgery is required to set it back in place, and here I'm assuming that the surgery would take care of Kanda's injury faster than his curse could heal it. He would need the painkillers before going into surgery, anyway. I'm also assuming that the infirmary in the Black Order actually has an operating room- I don't know for sure- but it would make sense if they did.

Okay, enough with the long-winded explanation. On with the story.

Oh, and I don't own D.Gray-man. Woe is me.

Where the Current Leads

Chapter Two: In Which Kanda Confesses

Komui reached into the endless depths of his lab coat and produced a syringe, which Allen shied away from out of habit. The needle looked incredibly sharp and none too small.

"You can rest easy, Allen-kun, this is for Kanda." He explained, squirting a tiny amount of the liquid inside into the air to test the syringe.

"What is it?" Allen eyed the clear substance with a cautious curiosity.

"It's a painkiller. A very strong painkiller I invented recently."

"Really… how strong is 'very strong,' exactly?"

"Well, what it is is a combination of a fast-acting sedative and a gradual but powerful anesthetic and narcotic. It will take away his pain and calm him down, but we'll have enough time before he falls asleep to take some x-rays and find out where the fracture is."

Shivering in fear and fascination at the man's genius, Allen nodded, still trying to make his eyes avoid the long needle.

"That's handy." Komui nodded to him, then headed over to Kanda, and to Allen's surprise, it only took a few words for Kanda to consent to the painkiller. He gasped in awe as Kanda actually watched the needle pierce his skin, and didn't so much as wince when Komui depressed the plunger.

The man had not lied about the strength of the drug; no more than a minute after the injection, Kanda's eyes grew slightly hazy, and his iron grip on the arm rest of the wheelchair slackened to nothing. When he spoke, he slurred quite audibly.

"Damn, Komui, thish ish really shtrong shtuff." However, Komui ignored him and motioned for the infirmary workers to wheel the patient in for an x-ray, and without a second thought, Allen followed with them.

Growing increasingly more relaxed, Kanda leaned back in his wheelchair with a sigh, and Allen gathered that it no longer hurt him to breathe. Kanda didn't even blink when the I.V. needle was slipped into his hand, and the nurse smiled at Kanda once there was tape over the needle to keep it in place.

"There we are."

"Thanks." He was no longer slurring, but now, something even stranger- he smiled back at her lazily. He'd been yelling at this same nurse not two minutes ago. Allen raised an eyebrow.

What's the I.V. for?"

"He needs more sedatives. The one he was given by Komui only lasts about five minutes."

"I see…" Allen noted with some concern that Kanda was still smiling; only this time, the smile was directed towards the ceiling.

"Having fun, Kanda?" the addressed exorcist's eyes slowly traveled to settle on Allen's, and the boy felt his heart skip a beat when Kanda smiled wider- at him.

"Oh, you bet. Wow…you have pretty hair."

Allen's eyes widened, and he blushed up to the roots of said pretty hair.

"Right, um, nurse? How about you lead the way to the x-ray room, and I'll push his wheelchair." She chuckled, motioning with her hand for him to follow. As Allen pushed his drugged-up comrade down the hall, Kanda attempted to turn around to look at him. Finding that this was all but impossible, he leaned his head way back and gazed at Allen from an upside-down perspective. His smile still lingered somewhat, but his eyes were wider, and he studied Allen with a dazed fascination.

"You have pretty eyes, too… they're the color of a rainstorm."

"Really…" Allen coughed, thoroughly embarrassed. "Well, uh, so do you…" Kanda shook his head, making his bangs tilt back more and expose his forehead.

"No, I don't. They're dark and cold and mean-looking and I don't like them." He crossed his arms stubbornly over his chest, frowning like a frustrated child. He even stuck out his bottom lip, which almost made Allen stumble out of shock. After he caught himself, Allen laughed a bit.

"Well, I like them." At this, Kanda's face lit up, and his smile returned with a vengeance.

"Really?"

It was such an enthusiastic, sincere response that it made Allen blush again, and he nodded.

"Really." Seeing that the nurse had stopped and unlocked a door, Allen steered Kanda into the room. The nurse nodded towards a metal table that was inside.

"Help him get up there, and have him lie down." Allen gulped; he had a nagging feeling that this would not go well. Nonetheless, he obeyed the nurse's order and helped Kanda shakily to his feet, presented with the problem of getting him up on the table. Reluctantly, he gripped Kanda's hips firmly.

"When I say so, push on my shoulders and get yourself up onto the table." Kanda didn't seem to be paying attention, but he nodded. Bracing himself, Allen lifted the older boy with a grunt.

"Go." He hesitated a moment, but then Kanda pushed himself up using the leverage from Allen's shoulders. He hissed slightly when he thumped onto the table, but otherwise showed no discomfort as he lay down.

The x-ray was taken, and then Allen had to run to stop Kanda, who was intending to jump from the table to the wheelchair ("Watch this!"). To Allen's surprise, Lavi was waiting for them outside of the room.

"Lavi, where have you been? I could have used your help!"

"Sorry! I had to get something." Lavi's gaze fell on Kanda, who was currently staring with great interest at his hands, as if he was wondering what their purpose could be. "How are you holding up there, Kanda?" Kanda's attention shifted sluggishly to the one who had spoken to him, seemingly noticing his presence for the first time. He grinned and gave Lavi the thumbs-up.

"I feel gooood." At this, the redhead's eyes went wide, and he regarded Kanda as one would an unstable mental patient. That passed, though, and he looked at Allen with a sort of cautious amusement.

"How many painkillers did they give him?"

Allen scratched the back of his head, feeling for some reason like he was in trouble.

"A few," he admitted. "But I have to say, they sure did calm him down."

"Gee, you _think_?" Lavi laughed a little, and Allen didn't miss the sarcasm in his comment. He was about to retort when the nurse piped up.

"Well, he's going to be out cold in a couple of minutes, so wish him luck now, if you want."

"Right. Don't kill anyone when you wake up, okay, Kanda?"

The dark-haired boy nodded sleepily, and Allen circled around the wheelchair to talk to him.

"Good luck in there, Kanda. They'll fix you up, don't you worry."

"Thanks, Allen." Allen (blushing and shocked) and Lavi (just shocked) exchanged a look. Kanda lowered his voice into a stage whisper, like a child telling a secret. "Guess what?"

Allen was almost afraid to know.

"What is it?"

Kanda spread his arms as wide as they could go, making the nurse fuss over his I.V.

"I love you _this much_." Instead of skipping a beat, this time Allen's heart stopped dead for a few moments, before he remembered to breathe, and it shuddered to a surprised start. His face would have put a rose to shame, and his eyes were so wide he thought they'd pop out of his head. He was aware of his heart thumping so loudly he could actually hear it. Finally, he was able to summon his voice.

"Do you… really mean that?"

"Of course I do. I wouldn't say it if I didn't mean it." For a person high on painkillers, Kanda had a very serious expression on his face. Allen couldn't help but smile.

"True. Are you ready to go to surgery now?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"I won't go without a good-luck kiss."

Allen went profoundly red once more as he debated what to do. He knew he couldn't say no- drugged or not, Kanda was famously stubborn. Those stubborn eyes gazed at him expectantly, and Allen had no choice. He leaned down, and Kanda's eyes closed in anticipation, but they flew open and he gasped when Allen's lips pressed warmly against the delicate curve at the hollow of his collarbone. It was such a sweet gesture that Kanda blushed, himself, and shivered despite the heat that had flared up within him.

It was too much excitement, it seemed, and as he heaved a sigh, his eyelids fluttered, and within seconds, he was fast asleep. The blushing nurse wheeled him off towards the operating room, and Allen and Lavi were left alone in complete silence. That is, until Lavi began roaring with uncontrollable laughter. Allen jumped a few feet in the air out of surprise, and flushed in embarrassment.

"It's not funny, Lavi! Stop laughing!"

"Are you kidding?! That was freaking hilarious! I'll never let Kanda forget this one! Oh my God, I'm a witness!"

"A witness of _what_?!"

"Of Kanda confessing his love to you! And… and you kissed him!"

"O-only on the collarbone… for good luck…" Allen's excuses were feeble, due to his red face and shy posture.

"Yeah, but do you have any idea how _hot_ that looked? You should have seen Kanda's face, I thought he'd get a nosebleed for sure!" Something seemed to dawn on Lavi, and a mischievous grin spread over his features. "Um, hey, you know what? I'll see you later!" he made to run, but Allen caught his sleeve.

"Wait! What are you gonna do?!"

"Oh, nothing…" Allen paled; Lavi was never up to "nothing," and especially not with that tone he had right now.

"Oh, no you don't. You're not telling anyone about this!"

Briefly, Lavi broke away, running again, and Allen had to tackle him to stop him- and even then, the redhead still struggled.

"But this is huge news!" He raised one fist up in the air from underneath Allen. "The people must be informed!"

As Allen fought to dissuade his friend from telling everybody what had happened, in the back of his mind, he hoped that after the drugs had worn off, he'd be able to see that happiness in Kanda's eyes again. Subconsciously, he longed for Kanda to feel the same way he had- without being high and disoriented, and altogether not like Kanda.

More than anything, he wanted that and that alone.


	3. Chapter 3

Where the Current Leads: Chapter 2

(Rain-Soaked Memories)

When Kanda woke up, his head was swimming, and a dull pain radiated from his chest to the rest of his body. Sunlight filtered through the open window, and he heard birds chirping somewhere.

"Kanda! You're awake!" the last voice in the universe he wanted to hear shouted from his left, and a little too violently, his head whipped around. The pain became sharp and stabbing, cutting up his neck and down his spine, and he gritted his teeth to prevent himself from crying out. "Oh no… please, don't do that, Kanda! God, I'm so _sorry_!" The older boy glared through a haze of agony, hissing in a choked voice,

"What are _you_ doing here, beansprout?"

"W-well, about that…"

"What? Spit it out!"

"Um, well, how to put this? Komui said that I have to take care of you until you forgive me for…" Allen trailed off, his face rife with guilt.

"For _breaking my collarbone_?" Kanda bit out venomously.

"Yes. That." The younger boy hung his head, now practically drowning in guilt. Even worse, it was now almost certain that Kanda's "friendliness" before had been caused by the drugs, his confession included; Allen couldn't believe that Kanda did or could ever feel anything but loathing towards him. But, most of his defensive mechanisms were in working order, and he was able to somewhat convince himself that it didn't matter- for the time being, at least. Plus, it was obvious that Kanda didn't remember even a little bit of what had happened yesterday.

It was at that moment that Lavi chose to visit, interrupting Allen's thoughts. He had his usual mischievous grin on his face, and for a good reason- he had Mugen, Kanda's precious sword, in his hand.

"Hey, Yuu-chan, I brought ya a present!" Kanda's eyes widened and then narrowed to deadly slits when he saw what Lavi was holding. Allen knew what was coming; he'd seem Lavi swipe the sword on numerous occasions, all with the same result. Kanda would tackle Lavi and wrestle the sword away from him, spouting death threats.

So, just as Kanda began his predictable lunge, Allen jumped into action, pinning the injured boy down on the bed by his shoulders. Something pulled at the back of Kanda's mind, something recent and familiar, but vague and indefinite. This annoyed him to no end. After all, it is quite common that affection blooms subconsciously before it does so consciously. His heart knew that memory, but his mind had buried it because Kanda was supposed to hate Allen and that was that. Any deviation from that standard would shake up Kanda's world irrevocably.

So, for now, the only sensible response to being so close to Allen was a deadly glare in his direction and a low, dangerous threat. Ignoring the stabbing eyes and words, Allen fixed Lavi with a stern gaze.

"Put. The sword. Down." Looking mildly frightened, the redhead obeyed, leaning Mugen against the bed, and it was only when he had safely backed away that Allen released Kanda. With a sigh, but still scowling, Kanda relaxed into his hospital bed.

"Do you feel better now?" Lavi piped up.

"About what?!" Kanda snapped, his tone still very biting. Allen, however, knew what Lavi was getting at.

"Lavi brought your sword to you because he knew it would calm you down. He probably had to beg the nurse to let you keep it in your room." Allen explained.

"Oh yeah, and that reminds me. The nurse says that Mugen stays in its sheath or it's scrap metal."

Kanda was silent, and visibly irritated. He didn't particularly enjoy being chastised by someone he "hated," especially if that person had a good point.

"Che." He snorted, rolling over so as not to face Allen and Lavi. Allen rolled his eyes, knowing that that was the closest thing to "thank you" that Lavi would ever get.

_All around him was the scent of darkness, the feeling of it creeping around him, stalking its prey, closing in on him- he felt like he couldn't breathe, but he was used to it. This blackness always visited him during the night, it was perpetually a part of his sleeping thoughts, the images his brain showed him, the place where his soul drifted to while his body laid useless. And, as always, he knew what would come next. The darkness would eat him alive, its icy fires licking all the way down to his bones, converging to the mark over his heart, but in the instant before it devoured him completely, he would wake up sweating and shaking._

_ But everything has changed now._

_ When the moment of the dream came where he would usually wake up, he shut his eyes tightly, and when he opened them, it was supposed to be gone._

_ But it remained. He groped about in the pitch-blackness, searching for anything that felt familiar. His voice ventured out, questioning the void, reaching for whatever salvation would be offered._

_ "Is anyone there?"_

_ The first thing to appear was a pair of silvery, stormy eyes. Then, slowly, more features began to fade in, resolving into a complete picture, as if the other being had been wandering in some other area of the darkness. Without knowing why, he reached out, and so did the other. As the very tips of their fingers brushed, the light came crashing down on them both._

_ Allen._

_ The boy's lips curved up into a shy smile, then began to move, but something was odd- his words didn't fit the movements of his mouth._

_ "Where have you been?"--His lips shaped "I was worried." Kanda stopped listening to his voice altogether, and just watched his mouth._

_ "I'm so glad I found you._

_ Let's go back together._

_ I felt like I would never find my way through this._

_ We shouldn't stay here too much longer._

_ Will you be my light?_

_ There was a flood of memory so enormous that Kanda could barely comprehend any of it. There were little bits and pieces, however, that were ringing and clear, even seen through the hazy filter of drugged recollection._

_ Allen laughing, smiling happily- at him._

_ A pair of warm hands on his hips._

_ His own arms spread wide in the air._

_ And the last thing he remembered; a warmth that had spread from the hollow of his collarbone all over his body, and then, nothing._

When he woke, he heard the pattering of rain running in rivulets down the glass. Occasionally lightning would illuminate the room, or there would be a distant roll of thunder. Asleep in a chair, but leaning onto the bed, was Allen.

Normally, he would look away, but his dream bothered him. It had gone so far beyond his usual nightmares. In fact, it had almost been pleasant. He furrowed his brow, perturbed; pleasant dreams? He didn't need any of that. He _wanted _that, and that frightened him more than anything. But it was too late; he wanted it now, and could not un-want it, the seeds of wanting had been sewn. Besides, the way Allen looked right now was like fresh rain on dry soil- and with widened eyes, Kanda felt something blooming and something breaking at the same moment in time. The moonlight bounced softly off Allen's pale skin, and it glowed in his hair like a fiery white halo. His eyes darted about under his eyelids, searching, and every so often he would twitch a little.

Then, there was a sound like the sky was tearing in two. Allen jolted awake, looking about in a dazed, panicked frenzy.

"Calm down, beansprout, it's just thunder." His own voice sounded foreign to him- the edge he worked so hard to keep in it had disappeared completely, and his words came out sounding almost comforting. He thanked the gods that Allen was too incoherent to realize it.

"Oh. Were you already awake, Kanda?" Kanda grunted in response, and Allen sighed. "Did you have a bad dream?"

Kanda stiffened. He was not about to talk with Allen about that dream, not before he-- well, no, just not ever.

"No. Not really."

"What do you mean?"

"It was weird."

Surprisingly, Allen just gave a thoughtful noise and didn't ask anything more about it. Even louder than before, the sounds of clouds crashing together shook the room, and Allen's hands tightened in Kanda's sheets. This did not go unnoticed by the other boy. He twitched an eyebrow, the urge bubbling up to reach out and hold one of Allen's hands.

"Are you afraid of thunderstorms, beansprout?"

"N-no! Of course no--" The heavens shuddered once more, and Allen's voice died in his throat. The expression on his face was nothing less that unmasked terror, and his eyes were glazed over, his gaze distant, as if he were lapsing into a memory. He buried his face in his mismatched hands, beginning to tremble violently and mutter incoherently. Fearing he was going insane, Kanda raised his voice.

"Beansprout! Get a hold of yourself!" His voice didn't seem to reach, however. The stricken boy didn't so much as twitch. Left with nothing else to do, Kanda leaned forward (causing himself some pain in the process), and gritting his teeth, he laid his hands on Allen's shoulders.

Startled out of his temporary madness, Allen gazed up at Kanda with wet eyes, taking breath in short gasps.

Nothing was said. Without using words, Kanda had yanked Allen back from the edge, and was keeping him far away from it with a gaze that was soft and steely at the same time.

And that was when, recklessly, Allen threw his arms around Kanda's neck.


	4. Chapter 4

Where the Current Leads

Chapter 4: The Spark

I'm back! *gasp* So soon! I owe it to whoever reads this story to have quick updates for not posting for so long before… please forgive me! I know. This situation calls for a little… YULLEN ACTION! (Of course, as far as I'm concerned, every situation calls for Yullen.

Recap: _And that was when, recklessly, Allen threw his arms around Kanda's neck._

Allen's reason for hugging Kanda was actually quite a simple one—putting a thank you into words just wasn't enough, not for what Kanda had just done for him. So, he'd wrapped his arms around the older boy's neck, lightly resting his head on one of the strong shoulders. Kanda found himself at a loss. By all means, physical contact of any kind should mean at the very least a strong death threat for the perpetrator, hugging especially. But he just couldn't bring himself to do it. The warmth of another body against his was so foreign, so new- but those thoughts were interrupted when he felt tears slipping down his chest.

"Are you crying?" His voice came out sounding unsteady. Allen's arms only tightened around him. There was no help for it; Kanda knew he wouldn't be able to push Allen away, not when he was like this. He wasn't sure why this was okay, but he sure as hell was not going to acknowledge the warmth coiling tightly in the pit of his stomach. With a sigh, he allowed his arms to wind around the still-trembling Allen, who buried his face in Kanda's chest.

Ta-thump, ta-thump, ta-thump—Kanda's heart beat strongly inside his ribcage, and Allen shut his eyes and contented himself with the comforting, steady rhythm. This was beyond strange. Never in his most impossible dreams would he have been held by Kanda, and yet here he was, in all honesty, not minding one little bit. The older boy was warm; he had undeniably hot skin compared to his own, which was frequently ice-cold. Right now, though, he could feel a definite heat building up within him. Finally, his own voice cut through the silence.

"Kanda… do you remember?"

"Remember what?" Slightly, Kanda pulled away, trying to convince himself that was what he'd wanted to do the whole time he was holding Allen.

"When they gave you all those drugs before your surgery…" the other boy wasn't quite following, so Allen continued, "Do you remember what you did… what you said?"

Kanda furrowed his brow. He had a sneaking suspicion that something very significant had occurred, but he could not for the life of him pluck it from his foggy memory. Allen must have seen him trying to remember and sensed that it was in vain, for he shook his head and sighed in defeat.

"Never mind, then. I should forget it too, actually…" he let his voice trail off.

"Damn it! Forget what, Beansprout? Do I have to strangle it out of you?"

"There's no need to get violent."

Kanda fixed the younger boy with a piercing gaze, the best he could muster, which was quite frightening at so close a distance. He felt Allen shudder.

"Do you _really_ want to know?"

Kanda set his mouth in a firm, stubborn line. The white-haired boy swallowed nervously before bringing his hands up to rest on Kanda's shoulders. Wide-eyed, the older boy could only watch as Allen leaned into him, eyelids falling delicately to conceal his silver irises. Kanda unconsciously held his breath, completely hypnotized by Allen's actions.

Heat ignited and overflowed from where Allen's lips brushed his collarbone, and his voice broke unbidden from his open mouth.

"Ah…! Kanda forced himself to believe it was a sound of realization, and nothing more. The instant that warmth had spread, he had matched it to that which he'd felt in his recent flood of memory.

At least, that was what he told himself, as the heat engulfed his senses, and he fought to hold back his voice. Something else escaped, though; a whisper, but the most dangerous utterance of all:

"_Allen_..."

The contact of skin broke, and Allen looked up as he heard that voice speak his name for the first time. He loved the way it sounded, the way it seemed to flow so easily, so naturally, in Kanda's voice, the way that even Kanda's midnight-colored eyes seemed to whisper his name. At the same time, they both leaned in again. Kanda's mind and thoughts were a blur. He was consciously aware of what he was doing, but only subconsciously aware of the reason why. It all crashed and burned away as he felt warm breath on his lips, the tight heat within him doubling again and again.

It had barely been a kiss—for just as their lips brushed lightly together, the door was thrown open, and there stood Lavi, bearing Kanda's breakfast and sporting an incredulous expression. That is, before he burst out laughing.

"Oh—oh my GOD! Am I seeing things?"

Allen was pushed back onto his behind by Kanda, but he didn't seem to notice. He just stared ahead with a blank expression. Kanda was reeling for a moment, but then his fists clenched, and he came back to himself.

"LAVI! YOU IDIOT! WHAT THE HELL?!" Kanda's screaming brought Allen back from his reverie, and with a blush so red it put a rose to shame, he gasped and covered his mouth with his hand.

"Way to go, Yuu-chan!"

"Lavi, get the hell out of here!" Kanda lunged, grabbing his IV stand and brandishing it at the redhead. Lavi ducked, the makeshift sword missing his head by just a few inches.

"Woah there! What's the problem? Yuu-chan, I thought you said you loved Allen? So what's wrong with kissing him?"

Kanda blinked, the IV stand nearly slipping from his grip.

"What… did you say?" From behind Kanda, Allen shook his head vigorously at Lavi, his face still cherry-red. Lavi paid him no mind.

"Come on, don't you remember? You told Allen you loved him **this** much." He spread his arms in imitation of the gesture, complete with the loopy grin. This time, Kanda really did drop the IV stand, but it didn't stay grounded for long; Allen picked it up and brandished it in Kanda's stead. Lavi decided that when Allen started swinging things, it was time to leave, so he shoved the breakfast tray he'd been holding into Allen's arms and took off running.

Allen and Kanda were left in a blinking stupor, and Allen meekly offered the tray to Kanda, who shook his head.

"I don't—I mean, I didn't… did I?" The dark-haired boy glanced at the white-haired one. Allen sighed.

"You kind of did…"

Kanda smacked his forehead and cursed vehemently.

"Goddamn drugs! I should have told Komui not to give me too much!" Allen fussed, waving his hands in the air.

"Kanda, Kanda! I understand! It was only the drugs talking, right? I knew that all along…" Allen's smile was incredibly forced, even more than usual. "I knew it." It was probably meant to sound like relief, but to Kanda, Allen sounded disappointed. He stared at the younger boy, trying to name the feeling that was surging up inside him, slow and insidious.

"You think I didn't mean it. Is that it?" There was a spark of hope in the boy's eyes that made Kanda's heart do weird things he didn't care to mention.

"Well, what else? You can't stand me!"

"Idiot. What are you raising your voice for?"

"You're playing with my feelings, you _jerk_!"

Kanda was taken aback for a moment, but then he cupped Allen's face in both hands, smirking.

"Could it be that you want me to— " Allen's cheeks warmed in his palms, and Allen tore away, trying his best to look angry.

"You… !" Tears gathered in Allen's eyes, spilling over as he hung his head. Then, unexpectedly, he stepped forward and kissed Kanda, hard. Kanda had just closed his eyes when Allen jerked away, murmuring, "It's all your fault." The words reverberated against Kanda's lips before Allen slipped away and bolted, leaving Kanda standing in the middle of the room. Only after the boy had left did Kanda realize there were tears on his face that weren't his own, and he wiped them away with a humorless laugh.

"Che. Idiot Beansprout."

And that's all for now. Hope you enjoyed!


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